


No Time Like the Present

by echoflowertea



Series: Living [29]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Female Reader, Reader Is Not Frisk, fat reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-09-03
Packaged: 2018-08-11 04:05:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7875508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoflowertea/pseuds/echoflowertea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You and your boyfriends take some much needed time off. Among other things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Time Like...

**Author's Note:**

> i update this series **fridays**!
> 
>  **this is a two-part installment**! stay tuned next week for the finished product!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you bought the ticket for the weekend getaway cruise with Papyrus, you never imagined it to play out quite like this. Were you complaining? Hell no.

Dating a big, hunky skeleton, you knew that life was full of surprises.

Papyrus wasn’t exactly…subtle. His personality was twice as big as his stature, and his heart bigger still. But you loved that about him. You loved that he had so much passion for life, that he could hold so many interests. That he cared so deeply and genuinely for the people in his life. You were just lucky to be one of them.

What you honestly didn’t expect was for him to score another ticket on the cruise you’d reserved for him.

Sure, it would’ve made sense that you’d go together. But your wallet said otherwise. You wanted to spoil him. You wanted him to have the time of his life – and he could, even when he was alone! He would’ve come back from the trip with numbers from all sorts of different people who wanted to hang out with him after the fact. Other pasta lovers who would see his incredible palate and invite him to all sorts of cool events to share their interest.

But he put that all aside. He shelled out a few extra bucks to tack you on as a passenger, despite all of your protests. Because he said he would rather not “SPEND THE WHOLE TRIP DREAMING ABOUT THE LOVE OF MY LIFE”. It was adorable, heartfelt, and pretty much made you look like a complete dork for not inviting yourself in the first place.

How could one monster be so damn sweet?

You settled in your seat next to him and leaned on his shoulder. “Ugh, flying is so boring.”

“HOW CAN YOU SAY SUCH A THING? WE ARE LITERALLY GOING TO BE SOARING THOUSANDS OF FEET IN THE AIR ABOARD A RELATIVELY SMALL CRAFT AT AMAZING SPEEDS!!!”

“Pfft, oh my gosh. Don’t let Sans hear you nerd out like this, he would never let you live it down.”

“WELL IT’S TRUE. MY BROTHER MAY NOT BE AS COOL AS I AM, BUT HE IS VERY SMART. AND HE HAS GOOD TASTE IN THINGS TO MARVEL ABOUT.”

The flight would only take a couple hours. Much more convenient than driving. Your luggage was in the back of the plane – hopefully – and you had a pair of headphones that you planned to plug in to watch the movie. Papyrus had a word search that he brought with him to keep his mind sharp with puzzles. They weren’t really as prevalent here on the surface, and he prided himself in being Great at them.

“OOH, THIS MOVIE LOOKS GOOD.”

“You want to watch it with me?”

“YES!!! I AM VERY GOOD AT MULTITASKING. WOULD YOU LEND ME ONE SIDE OF YOUR EARBUDDIES?”

You laughed at his request. God. So cute. You handed them over and stuck it in his external acoustic meatus. Just right. Papyrus hummed with interest and leaned forward in his chair, stretching his legs out happily as the flight attendant came down with the snack cart.

You weren’t one for sleeping on such a short flight, as tempting as it was. His sporadic chuckles and the familiar hum of his magic would’ve been a sure way to drift off, even with all the discomforts of the small seat and the looming threat of airsickness.

You felt Papyrus reach down for your hand when there was a small bout of turbulence. He pretended not to worry, but his furrowed browbone and his short intake of breath said otherwise.

When the plane landed, it was up to you to get out as soon as possible so you could make your way to the boat. But of COURSE everyone all stood up at once to scramble out of their seats and grab their things. Papyrus was too nice to shove his way into the crowd, so the both of you ended up being the dead last ones out of the plane. You would’ve decked him if you didn’t love him so much.

But Papyrus was the one that carted around your luggage. He was the one that asked for directions when you got lost in the unfamiliar airport, and he was the one that kept his pace slow enough for you to walk alongside of him.

“OH, I AM SOOOO EXCITED!!! WHAT SHALL WE DO FIRST? I THINK WE SHOULD CHANGE INTO OUR BOAT ATTIRE AND MINGLE WITH THE OTHER GUESTS. THEN EAT HORS D’OEUVRES LIKE TINY SHRIMPS AND COCKTAIL SAUCE. I WILL LET YOU CONSUME MOST OF THOSE.”

You grinned at him. “So, I called the cab company and got us something fun.”

“DID YOU? WHATEVER COULD IT BE?” He hummed and paused at the front doors. “OH! IS IT A RENTAL CAR? ONE THAT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE I HAVE AT HOME? THAT WOULD BE MY FAVORITE.”

“Pfft, no! C’mon, let’s check it out.”

You told the driver what you would be wearing, but honestly, they probably used Papyrus’s appearance as a dead giveaway in who to pick up.

A musical honk resounded down the street. It was full of whimsy and caused a ripple of laughter from people waiting on the sidewalk for their rides. Papyrus looked down the street and his eyesockets lit up, bubbling with unshed tears of excitement.

“OH MY GOD!!! IS THAT—?”

You knew you were going to regret this. The secondhand embarrassment would probably consume you. But when the cab company said they had something specialized just for members of this cruise, you couldn’t resist.

The entire car was in the shape of a bowl of pasta.

Spaghetti, specifically.

The wheels were painted to look like meatballs. Giant noodles with brightly colored tomato sauce sat on top in a ceramic statue. It even played _Bella Notte_ through the speakers out the side. All in all, this was the cheesiest fucking thing you’d ever done.

And he _loved_ it.

“Paps?”

“WOWIE. THIS IS…INCREDIBLE…” He wiped the tears on the back of his hand, trying to shy away from you to minimize how overwhelmed he was. His voice quivered. “YOU GOT ME A RIDE IN A SPAGHETTI CAR. I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW I AM SUPPOSED TO REACT. WE ARE IN PUBLIC.”

You laughed slightly as the driver stepped out to help you with your bags. “Well, we can always make up for it later, okay?”

“YOU ARE…RIGHT…” He sniffled. “I AM GOING TO GET YOU BACK FOR THIS, YOU KNOW. AS THE BEST BOYFRIEND EVER, I CANNOT LET YOU WIN ON OUR TRIP. TRUST ME WHEN I SAY THAT I WILL GO ALL OUT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK!”

You really didn’t want him to, but there was no stopping him. You just smiled and nodded.

After you shoved everything in the backseat, you and Papyrus climbed into the back of the van. It was roomy for the both of you. Between the plasma TV hanging down to welcome you to the weekend getaway with a personalized message scrolling along the screen, the complimentary glasses of champagne, and the free shot glasses with your names engraved, you were sold. If you had to ride in this abomination just to get the special treatment for the rest of your life, you totally would.

“SO HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE BOAT?”

“Should only be about half an hour. Traffic’s light enough,” the driver responded.

“GREAT! WE UM, ARE GOING TO NEED THIS UP. THANK YOU.” Papyrus pressed the button and the privacy window rolled up.

“N-no way, Paps!”

“YES WAY.” He cackled with glee and tackled you in your seat, a high-pitched laugh torn from your throat when he cuddled you to his chest. He couldn’t stop peppering your face with skelekisses. It wasn’t even overwhelming, either.

A long time ago, you would’ve regarded this with minor disgust and major discomfort. But with patience and time, this sort of thing brought you unrivaled joy. And he was too cute to deny with those glittering eyes and his SOUL singing your name.

You reached up and put your hand on his cheekbone. “So? Pretty cool, huh?”

“THE COOLEST. YOU JUST WAIT. WHEN WE ARE ALONE…” His face tinged pink. “BUT I AM NOT GOING TO SPOIL THE SURPRISE BY TALKING ABOUT ALL OF THE SAUCY THINGS WE ARE GOING TO DO.”

“S-saucy?”

“OH YES, THE SAUCIEST.” He winked. “YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE BUT MY STRONG, MUSCULAR BODY AND MY KNEE-WEAKENING KISSES.”

The driver laughed up front. He could hear you. OF COURSE. You pretended not to hear it and instead rested in his chest, trying to catch wind of his magic flowing through his bones. He stroked your hair and you watched the city pass you by through the tinted windows.

Papyrus helped you step out of the van and you stared in wonder at the sight.

Oh man.

This was like…the nerdiest thing you’d ever seen.

You weren’t the only couple. There were plenty of older people around, dressed head to toe in paraphernalia that screamed pasta connoisseurs. Some of them had hats with noodles drawn in bold, stylistic lines all over the side. One person had a shirt that read, “This outfit cost me a pretty penne”. Worst ever. Sans would’ve loved it. It was hard to tell whether these people were serious, but you couldn’t judge. Everyone seemed impressed you’d rolled up in a van decorated like a plate of spaghetti.

“Hi, there! Can I have your names?”

You introduced yourselves and got fancy badges to wear on the boat. Just something to get you in and out of your rooms as well as let the others know who you were. The greeter handed off another glass of champagne to you, which you sipped at while you started your ascent onto the boat.

“You two will be staying in the Capellini Suite!” Why was this a thing. Why was everything themed. “If you have any suggestions or special requests, please don’t hesitate to message us on the laptop we’ve provided you. It’s a way for you to order room service, find events that are going on, and keep in contact with your personal assistant.”

“IS THIS WHAT HUMANS CALL…HEAVEN???”

The girl laughed. “I like your enthusiasm. Well, here we are! The buffet tonight opens at six, so make sure you guys don’t fill up on anything else by then!”

It was just the two of you. You plopped down on the floor and opened up your suitcase, trying to find the shorts and shirt that you bought just to wear today.

“WELL? HOW DO I LOOK?”

In the midst of your rifling, you hadn’t even noticed Papyrus change. You glanced up.

He had on an old-school yacht captain outfit. With a double-breasted jacket, a captain’s hat, gold buttons and detailed sleeves. You had no clue where he was keeping it, and you didn’t care. Because he even had a fake pipe stuck between his teeth, something that blew bubbles instead of bitter smoke.

You fell over laughing. Papyrus grinned at you, not bothered at all by your reaction.

“I KNOW. CLEARLY YOU HAVE GONE MAD WITH HOW HANDSOME I AM. BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF UNTIL AFTER DINNER.”

“Papyrus, where did you even get that?”

He joined you on the floor to help you unpack, tossing the pipe on the bed so it didn’t get in the way. “WELL, I WAS LOOKING UP COMMON ATTIRE FOR SITUATIONS LIKE THIS, AND I MANAGED TO STUMBLE ACROSS SOME VERY INTERESTING SOURCE MATERIAL. I WAS INSPIRED. SANS AND I CAME TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS.”

“Wait, you didn’t rent it?”

“NO. WELL. WE MAY HAVE HAD SOME CONSULTATION FEES WITH MUFFET…” A few beads of sweat ran down his temple. “BUT ALPHYS HAS IMPROVED HER SEWING QUITE A BIT SINCE HER TIME COSPLAYING ON THE SURFACE. SHE, SANS AND I ALL COLLABORATED TO CREATE THIS!”

“Well. I love it.”

You did, too. It didn’t matter that it was out of place and a little goofy. It was so him it hurt. He saw this as an opportunity and took it. His confidence would win everyone over, and no one would really care too much considering how ridiculous this cruise was already. So if he wanted to strut around in something like this, who were you to stop him? You loved him because he was unafraid to be himself.

“GOODIE!!! THEN I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT IT’S A GIVEN YOU ARE MY…FIRST MATE.” He chuckled and unfolded the shorts you’d been looking for. “AH! ARE YOU GOING TO WEAR A SWIMSUIT?”

“Maybe with just the two of us.” You pecked him on the nasal bone. “Speaking of which, we should check the rest of the room out. See anything cool?”

It was amazing. As weird as this boat was, their decorations weren’t as over the top as you thought it would be. A TV against the back wall. A giant bed with fluffy pillows and comforter. Along the walls there were pictures of basic scenery, including fields of flowers and clouds. Maybe something to remind everyone with claustrophobic tendencies that this was temporary and land still existed out there beyond the water.

You, however, were more interested in the full-sized bathtub that had its own jetstream.

“Holy shit. Oh my god. You can change the settings to rival a hottub? Are you serious?!”

Papyrus wasn’t sure what the big deal was, but appreciated your enthusiasm anyway. “IT DOES LOOK VERY RELAXING. LOOKIE! THERE ARE OILS AND SCENTS HERE.”

“Oh man. I’m gonna dump you, Papyrus. I’m sorry.”

“WHAT??? WHY?! WHAT DID I DO???”

“I’m starting a love affair with the tub.” You grinned at him.

He scowled. “DO NOT PLAY WITH MY EMOTIONS!!! YOU NEARLY MADE ME FAINT!”

“Aw, sorry!” You laughed and tugged on his clenched fist, bringing it to your waist. His expression softened when he squeezed the soft flesh there. “I guess I’ll have to find a way to make it up to you, huh?”

“YOU’D BETTER,” he threatened playfully, diving in for another hard kiss that forced you to wrap your arms around his neck.

As fun as it would’ve been to goof around more, you were going to walk the deck and check the rest of the ship out. The buffet was about an hour away, but until then, there was a lot going on.

“WOWIE. LOOK AT THAT!”

You squinted. “Caricatures?”

“WE ARE GETTING SOME. BUT THEY HAD BETTER CAPTURE MY DEVILISHLY GOOD LOOKS.”

He plopped down on the chair and forced you to take a seat on his lap so he could hold you. You weren’t sure how the guy was going to get the both of you in the picture. Between his massive height and your massive weight, it was a little hard to tell if it was going to be offensive. But you played along, knowing full well that the point of the picture was that it was supposed to be exaggerated.

No one seemed to mind you at all, either. The entire boat was full of couples from all walks of life. It made you happy seeing humans and monsters getting together without a care in the world. It was just so…effortless. How you could date and marry and be happy with whoever you found who could fit the bill.

“You guys ready?”

“YES! PLEASE, GIVE IT TO ME FOR MY APPRAISAL!”

Papyrus took no time in snatching it out of the artist’s hands. You had to gently remind him to be a little more reserved, considering he was just so overwhelmed and excited he could think of nothing else. The guy didn’t seem to mind; actually, he was tickled that Papyrus was looking forward to something as simple as a rough sketch.

His eyesockets filled with stars.

“Paps, lemme see!”

“NO, I’M STILL NOT DONE! I NEED TO DRINK IN THE MOMENT!”

He held it high above your head and you pouted at him. That did it. He ignored the drawing completely and swallowed you up in a tight hug, chuckling as he ranted on about how adorable you were. The artist took another couple and worked away, but you were adamant in taking a peek at it.

After a few more seconds of intensive cuddling, Papyrus finally deposited the picture in your hand.

You gazed at it. It was…surprisingly cute. Like. Way more flattering than you thought it would be. There were some of your features that had been blown up, like your nose and lips, but hey. It was still a pretty good likeness. And honestly, the way that he approached your body was cartoony and fun, rather than meant to be grotesque and judgmental.

Papyrus, on the other hand…

The guy must’ve known how dramatic he was. How over-the-top his personality could be. Because he had swept you in this picture like it was nobody’s business. He looked just as heroic as he did in real life, with a massive chest, powerful arms to encase you, and a determined expression that would make anyone swoon. From the shape of his face to the happy squint to his eyesockets, it was so on point that it made your heart swell.

“WE ARE PUTTING THIS IN OUR SCRAPBOOK!”

“Scrapbook?”

“YES! TORIEL GOT ME INTO SCRAPBOOKING. I’VE BEEN SNEAKING PICTURES OF OUR DATES IN IT FOR MONTHS.” He cackled. “I SWEAR THEY ARE ALL GOOD. I HAVE TRIED MY BEST TO PICK THE ONES I BELIEVED YOU WOULD ENJOY.” He hummed and pulled out his phone to show you. “SEE THIS? THE SUNSET CAST AMAZING LIGHT ON YOUR HAIR AND GAVE YOU A HALO!!!”

You weren’t sure if you liked him snapping pics of you without permission, but you had to admit…the guy knew your angles. Now that was smooch worthy.

After tucking away the caricature somewhere safe, you headed around the bend. The ship itself was really fancy. So much that it had a set of spiral stairs that led up to the captain’s cabin and the wheel.

On the starboard side, there was a small snail race reminiscent of Blook Acres in Underground. It was funny how monsters and humans alike got such a kick out of watching the little things go as fast as they could, trailing slime and panicking at the encouragement from their fans.

Portside, a bunch of people were drinking and talking, leaning against the railing as music started from the center of the ship. It wasn’t long before the tipsy dancing started. Couples in love sharing their feelings with everyone who was there to see. Some took out a limbo stick and you were quick to steer Papyrus away before he caught sight of it. He would’ve destroyed everyone, seeing as how he was literally just made of magical, flexible bones that far surpassed the limits of your own skeletal system.

“Hello, everyone!” The speaker near the cabins crackled. “The pasta buffet is officially open!”

You and Papyrus dashed through the doors to grab a good table. The dining room was massive, and though there was plenty of room, he was serious about this. Everyone else was so busy enjoying the rest of the sights and romantic atmosphere that you ended up being first in line. He vibrated with excitement and jumped up and down, bones creaking from the amount of energy that bubbled just below the surface.

“Help yourselves, guys!”

He dashed off without even waiting for you. You didn’t blame him. Papyrus was a very…particular monster. He had interests that he poured his heart into. It was a little obsessive, sure, but it was passionate. It was wonderful. And you wouldn’t change that about him. Other people thought he was difficult because of it, sort of eccentric, and a little funny, but…you really saw it as one of his incredibly lovable traits. Pasta was something he stuck with when he first learned to cook, and he considered himself an expert. He could name off ten thousand different facts about it if he so desired. And now he had a chance to experience it all – the tastes. Smells. Texture.

You followed him around the best you could. He piled everything on several plates and balanced them on his arms and head. You had your own heaping with lots of good stuff, stomach growling at the prospect of stuffing your face.

And if there was one thing you both loved…it was eating.

Papyrus set everything down and rearranged the table to his liking. Moving several dishes out of the way and getting it just right so that the table felt “Papyrus” enough. Then he grabbed his silverware and started with the white sauces first, swirling the noodles around his fork and shoving it into his mouth.

For a big monster, he had a huge appetite. It was awesome. You never felt weird going out in public with him because he enjoyed food so much. While you chipped away at your own plate, he tried nearly everything and looked like he was in sheer bliss.

“MAY I HAVE SOME OF THIS?”

“Of course you can.” You pushed your plate to him and he deflated. “What?”

“I WANTED YOU TO FEED IT TO ME.”

“Oh my god, Paps.”

“PLEASE?”

You glanced around and flushed, embarrassed. No one cared at all what you were doing, so you swirled the pasta into a neat wrap and put it to his mouth.

He chomped on it with a deep hum of satisfaction.

“Pfft, oh my gosh, you have sauce everywhere!”

“I KNOW, AND I DON’T EVEN CARE!!!” He rubbed his face all over his napkin anyway. “HOW ARE YOU RESTRAINING YOURSELF???”

“I guess…I’m just too busy watching you.”

You got to watch a movie while you ate. Once everyone settled down, there was a big screen that dropped down and put on an adventure movie you’d never even heard of. It was quiet enough where people could talk and go back for seconds and thirds, but Papyrus was enraptured with the passionate love scene near the end. In fact, he’d been saving the best for last – slurping up a lone noodle – when it dangled from between his jaw and teeth.

“THIS ONE HAS CHEESE INSIDE OF IT!”

“And that one is really small.”

“I NEVER WANT TO LEAVE!!!”

You laughed at his expression. He really was on cloud nine. He’d picked up a bib so he could go crazy. You debated whether you should snap pictures of him going in on his food, but decided you would just enjoy this all to yourself. The others would never get to see this side of him; you were selfish like that.

Dessert was a cake that had been dressed up to look like a bowl of pasta, something that must’ve been custom made and expensive as hell. You knew you wouldn’t get a chance like this in a while. Papyrus wasn’t too keen on having something sweet after his pasta binge, and instead guzzled down cups full of water to settle his stomach(?) after pretty much gorging himself.

“Be right back, I’m gonna grab some of that cake.”

“OKIE DOKIE, TAKE YOUR TIME!”

You pulled away from the table and headed over to snag a slice. You really hoped that it was a flavor that you liked.

“Oh my gosh, I love your outfit. It’s sooo cute.”

“THANK YOU!!!” Papyrus beamed at the girls that came up to him. He knew it was a great decision. “WOULD YOU CARE TO HAVE A SEAT?”

“Um, yeah! Totally!”

You hummed and debated on whether you should dress your piece with some kind of fudge or caramel. Nah. Better just cut back on that before you really made yourself sick. Besides, you were totally going to sneak some leftovers into your room for later. Midnight snacks in bed, your favorite pastime.

You’d turned around to head back when you saw Papyrus chatting up some…really, really beautiful girls.

Oh.

Um.

Okay, cool it. This wasn’t a time to get jealous. You were on a romantic trip together. He couldn’t tear his eyes off you. In the entirety that you’d known him, he’d only ever been attracted to you. Everyone else? Just friends. He would never be the type of person to flirt with…anyone else.

One of them reached over and stroked the buttons on his jacket and your stomach dropped.

Ew. You fucking hated this.

Part of you wanted to turn heel and leave. To tromp back to the room and see how long it would take for him to find you. Pouting in bed and ignoring him until he begged you to forgive him. That was sadistic and…completely unfair to him. He was friendly. Sometimes naïve. And while you weren’t okay with other girls draping themselves all over him – like how the one on the right had leaned over to wipe the pasta sauce from his face – you weren’t going to punish him.

You swallowed your fears and went to the table. Staring at them.

“Um, hi?”

“You’re in my seat.” You could feel your body thrum with adrenaline. You were going to be sick. You didn’t consider yourself the confrontational type, but the look of disgust she gave you was setting you off. “Who are you, again?”

“OH. THESE ARE MY NEW BUDDIES. BUDDIES, THIS IS MY GORGEOUS, PHENOMENAL, INCREDIBLE GIRLFRIEND!” He gushed. “THANK YOU FOR TALKING WITH ME, BUT WE ARE GETTING READY TO LEAVE. EXCUSE US.”

He stood to his feet and ignored their weak protests. Grabbed your hand. And you left.

You stood at the front of the ship, the wind rustling through your hair and the wide open ocean a welcome change to the stifling atmosphere inside. Papyrus joined you with his hand resting on yours.

“I…AM SORRY.”

“What? What for?”

“YOU WERE…JEALOUS…” He swallowed thickly. “I DIDN’T MEAN TO…I THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE FUN TO MEET OTHER PEOPLE. BUT EVEN WHEN I SAID I WAS VERY MUCH IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE ELSE, THEY REFUSED TO LEAVE ME ALONE. I AM GLAD YOU DID NOT ABANDON ME THERE.”

Ugh. You should’ve known better. You peered at him with a smile. “You know something?”

“WHAT?”

“I…don’t deserve you. But I love you.”

You walked around the boat and avoided the other girls. It was a minor hiccup in your night of fun. You and Papyrus were roped into a game of shuffleboard with a very persistent older couple who refused to take no for an answer. They kicked your asses, too. You watched a small comedy show that was posted up in a little room near the dining room, signed your names on a giant poster for the cruise that they hung up in the hallway, and even bought him a onesie with every type of pasta printed on it in a row of pictures and labels.

“SHALL WE RETIRE TO OUR ROOM?”

“Let’s do it!”

You were more than happy to tear your bra off as soon as you crossed the threshold. Let the girls breathe. You scratched at your bare legs and wondered if you should just jump in your pajamas when there was a knock at the door.

“Uh, Paps? Were you expecting someone?”

He set his t-shirt down and gasped. “YES, I WAS! HOLD ON FOR A MOMENT.”

He rushed to the door and tore it open, his booming voice hard to understand from your head buried in the pillows.

When he came back, you saw the giant bottle in his hand and laughed. “Um, what is that?”

“THIS? MY SECRET WEAPON. BE RIGHT BACK!!!” He dashed to the bathroom before you could question him further.

You spent the next few minutes just chilling out. You’d worked off everything you ate and were ready to party it up with your boyfriend. Maybe you could work on that sudoku book he brought with him? It was one of his favorite things to do these days.

“OKAY! COME TO THE BATHROOM!”

You pulled yourself out of bed, reluctantly, and headed over to the door. Something told you that what you saw was going to make your night, and boy, were you right.

The entire tub was filled to the brim with bubbles. Popping and iridescent in the dim glow of candles. All along the floor were pieces of paper cut in the shape of rose petals and scribbled on with red marker. You nearly lost it at that. Papyrus sat on the tub, looking downright tickled with himself, while he made a grand gesture toward the steaming hot bath.

“WELL????” He wiggled his brow bones. “NOW YOU CAN RELAX AND LET ALL OF YOUR NERVES FADE!”

You were so ready to jump into the tub. “Don’t you mean…um...we?”

Papyrus gaped. Jaw open. Eyes bulging. He started to malfunction.

“W-WHAT??? THE BOTH OF US??? IN THE TUB? TOGETHER? I…DON’T THINK I BROUGHT MY SWIMSUIT!”

You bit your lower lip and gazed at him, head tilted. “I mean. It would be…a _bath_. Not a soak.”

“????!!!!!”

You weren’t sure how he managed to articulate exclamation points and question marks aloud, but he did it. Papyrus grabbed the captain hat from his head and put it to his chest, a steady blush blossoming along his cheekbones.

“TRULY, THIS IS…THE GREATEST TRIP EVER.”

“Yeah. I think it is.”

You came together without any more hesitation. He ran his hands down your side and planted hot kisses down your neck and shoulders. Unbuttoning your shorts, hooking his fingers into the loops and tugging them down over your hips. You stepped out as soon as you could and he drove you toward the wall, knee pinning you there and holding you just high enough that all of your weight bore down on his leg.

“Ah…Paps…”

“PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS IS TOO MUCH. IF ANY OF IT IS.”

You felt his tongue on your throat and shuddered. He was so attentive tonight. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Or your suggestion. But you relished the way he drove into you and reached for your shirt next, lifting it high above your shoulders and baring your chest to him completely.

This time, you didn’t shy away. You didn’t flinch. You didn’t cover them up. And he just stared in wonder and reached up to encase his hand around both.

“Ooh…”

“THAT FEELS GOOD, DOESN’T IT?” He applied just enough pressure for you to arch your back into him. Your panties were getting soaked. “Y-YOU’RE ENJOYING IT?”

You kissed him in response. He let out an _mmph_ of protest before surrendering to it, continuing to knead your breasts and flick his fingers around your nipples. Pinching them until they hardened and letting them go, grazing over your areola until they softened underneath his touch and he started the whole process again.

He pulled back and you found yourself leaning forward so he could continue. He stepped back, to admire his handiwork, before reaching up to take off his outfit. Piece by piece. Slowly. As if he _knew_ how torturous this was. Making eye contact with you until the last of it fell to the floor around his ankles.

“U-um, so what do you…”

He turned his back to you and hopped in the bath.

What.

You stood there, topless, in panties that were drying against the cool air, trying to get a hold of yourself while he submerged himself in the bubbles. Chuckling and splashing around, a mischievous grin on his face. That…jerk. Leaving you high and dry! You weren’t sure if this was payback from the other day, but you weren’t going to let him get the best of you.

Panties. Off.

He leaned over the edge of the tub and his entire face tensed. Jaw open. A blush starting at his neck and crawling toward his forehead.

Here you were. Both. Naked. You in all of your glory. Underwear? Gone. Bra? See ya. Shirt on the ground. Shorts kicked off somewhere. With nothing but the dim glow of the lights around you encasing your form while you approached him.

The water was hot against your skin and welcome. But you didn’t get a chance to enjoy it for very long, because Papyrus waded over to where you were and pulled you into his lap.

Your SOULs didn’t waste any time. He didn’t even have to summon yours; you just blinked and there it was, floating up toward the ceiling and twirling as it waited for his to join. And it did. As soon as it came from his chest, the both of them gravitated toward each other in a practiced motion and immediately came together. Magic seeping into each other as the colors bled, creating that perfectly wonderful heart – tilted sideways – that was a culmination of everything you were to each other.

You moaned against him and settled into his crotch. The melding was so sudden that you already felt your thighs go slick. Papyrus wrapped his arms around your back to steady you while you rocked against him, setting the rhythm almost immediately.

“OH…”

“Ah! Shit! Oh my god!” You couldn’t stop grinding down on him. With every roll of your hips, something surged in the pit of your belly and nearly sent you over the edge. Already? You just climbed on top of him and started humping, but he felt so good and so warm and you were so sensitive and ready. You needed him to finish you off, and it didn’t help that he was just making tiny little grunts of satisfaction whenever you paused to draw it out nice and slow.

“I CAN’T??? I CAN’T???”

“Paps, what?” You stopped and pulled back from him, but he drew you in even closer. Refusing to let go. He sobbed into your shoulder. “S-stop, stop! Why are you…?”

“I FEEL IT ALL.”

“You _what?_ ”

Well, there went your climax. You forced him to look at you, cradling his head in your hands. He’d wanted to bury it in your  breasts to avoid eye contact, but you weren’t having it.

“W-WE MELDED AND IT F-FEELS…SOO GOOD. A-AND THEN YOU ON TOP OF ME…EVERYTHING IS SO WARM AND WET. AND YOUR PLEASURE IS MINE BECAUSE OUR SOULS ARE TOGETHER!!!”

Uh. Whoa. Did not know that about monsters.

You stammered. “So…you can feel what it’s like? When I grind on you?”

“N-NO! NOT THAT. IT’S NOT LIKE I AM…EXPERIENCING THE SENSATIONS. BUT THE PLEASURES. IT IS…A LITTLE OVERWHELMING. YOU ARE GOING SO FAST AND IT’S TOO GOOD. IT’S TOO MUCH.”

You knew you shouldn’t have jumped into this. You were so busy trying to get off that you hadn’t stopped to ask him if you needed to go at his pace. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, I swear.”

“I KNOW.” He moaned into your slippery skin. “I JUST NEEDED A MOMENT. I CAN…I CAN DO IT.”

“Are you sure?”

“YES.” He steeled himself. “GO ON. PLEASE. I DON’T WANT IT TO STOP. I WANT TO BE THERE WITH YOU WHEN YOU COME.”

You nodded and put your hands on his shoulders. He balanced against the side of the tub as you sank back down onto him fully, the slickness of your slit rubbing against his sacrum in all of the right ways. It was softer and almost spongy against your clit. Enough that you could control the pressure and pace, speeding up and slowing down, bouncing along and climbing toward that peak of pleasure that would snap in your belly.

“OH, FASTER, PLEASE???”

You did what he asked you, hips bumping against his own. The water sloshed in the tub and you thrust upward to meet him fully, a gentle squish of your flesh meeting his bone.

“OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD!!!”

You were close, too. This was it. You were going to come. With your boyfriend. In the tub. After everything you’d been through – the discomfort and confusion, the misunderstandings and heartache – you were here.

Papyrus caged you in his arms and let out a silent scream as he reached his orgasm, bucking his hip upwards. You didn’t know what it was that hit you, but a piece of bone dragged along your folds and you lost it. You screamed out his name. Begging him to keep going despite his tearful cries and moans thick in his throat. You reached down to rub your clit when you felt him stop you, pushing your own wandering hands away from your lower half, panting and sweat beading down his brow.

“Please Paps, oh god, I’m so close!”

“I KNOW YOU ARE. LET ME DO THIS FOR YOU, OKAY?” He took an arm, thrust it in the water, and probed at your entrance.

Oh. _Fuck_. It slipped right in. You were already dripping wet and he could get a finger inside of you. The tip of it tracing his name along your clit before he plunged two past your throbbing walls, exploring, probing, jerking along until he found the spot that made you scream.

How did he know how to do this? What did he read? What did he _watch_? Because with every sloppy thrust of his fingers inside of you, you tossed your head back and gripped him more tightly. Having him anchor you down while he fucked you with his hand, two fingers turning into three, stretching you out wonderfully until he filled you to the brim. Skating his palm over your clit and thumbing it until you moaned that you loved him.

The SOULs went up in a flare and Papyrus increased the pace. Worshipping your body with kisses and smooches and keeping his free hand around you so he could steady your trembling form. You fell into him and tried to match his pace, thrusting forward when he went in, pulling backwards when he drew them back.

“Papyrus…!”

“YOU ARE SO WARM INSIDE. AND SOFT. I NEVER WANT THIS TO END. I WANT TO BE INSIDE OF YOU FOREVER.”

You choked when he curled his fingers inside of you and hit the spot. The spot that made your entire body convulse. That would send you over the edge and tear something out of you you’d never felt before, never this intense, not at this level, not when he jerked his wrist even faster and harder. Making it short and making sure to drag his finger along the top of your walls, creating the friction you’d been aching for and searching for when you climbed on top of him.

“PLEASE TELL ME YOU LOVE ME. PLEASE.”

“Oh _fuck_. FUCK!”

“SAY IT!”

“I love you! I love you! Oh my god, Papyrus, I love you!”

He shoved it in as far as he could go and you  _moaned._ Loud enough that the entire floor could hear it. A giddy laugh bubbling in your throat at the end of it. Your body twitching as you got to the top, high above everything and everyone, soaking his fingers so that they slipped and slid inside of you. Coating him until there was nothing left you could give, angling into him so that you no longer had an inch of space between you.

He continued to finger you until you were completely spent. When he couldn’t wring anything else out of you. No whispers. No relieved tears. Nothing. He waited until you squirmed underneath his touch, oversensitive. Your SOULs humming.

“Mmmm…”

“WOWIE…” Papyrus finally slipped out of you. You felt empty without him and squeezed your legs together to recreate the wonderful pressure you were missing already.

He held his fingers up to the light and scissored them open and closed, watching the thick strands of come ebb and stick to his joints. He brought it to his mouth and immediately popped it in, tongue swiping along and sucking on it experimentally.

“OH, THAT TASTE IS…”

You didn’t want to hear any more. “Mm, don’t.”

“YOU WANT TO TRY IT, DON’T YOU?” He chuckled and gestured for you to meet him in a kiss. You weren’t going to turn it down, and opened your mouth just wide enough for him to slide his tongue in and lathe yours while he consumed you inside and out.

You broke away and a thin strand of saliva connected your mouths. Papyrus broke it with a quick wave of his hand and thumbed your lower lip. His eyesockets dropped to the bubbles that still lingered on your breasts before diving in for another kiss, the both of you molding your mouths just enough that you couldn’t think of anything else but the heady warmth of each other.

You stared at him. In wonder. Cheeks burning. Body hot. Lips swollen. Teeth nibbling on your lower lip. Papyrus bent down to pepper your breasts with kisses, fascinated with the way that they slid and weighed in his hands.

“CAN I PLEASE FINISH WHAT I WANTED TO DO?”

“What?”

He put his mouth on your nipple and rolled it around in his mouth, tongue lingering on it to make it harden. He pinched the other and stretched it out, just enough for it to pop back into place hard and pebbled against your skin. You pouted at him but clutched his skull to you, cradling his body and watching his ribs heave with every long intake of breath.

“I can’t believe you…”

“I KNOW, BUT YOU MAKE ME…DO THESE THINGS…” He murmured against you. “I ALMOST PASSED OUT.”

“What? When?” You laughed weakly.

“WHEN YOU WERE BOUNCING. YOU WERE SO SOFT AND WONDERFUL AND YOUR WEIGHT IS PERFECT SO I WASN’T SURE I COULD LAST.”

“Wait…so it wasn’t uncomfortable?”

“NO!!!” He let out a distressed noise. “I DID NOT WANT TO DO THE ORGASM WITHOUT YOU.”

“But…you did.”

He refused to look at you, squishing your stomach affectionately. “I KNOW. AND I WAS MAD BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T HAVE ONE AT THE SAME TIME. YOU WERE SO FOCUSED ON ME THAT YOU WOULDN’T LET MY SOUL SHARE IT!!!”

You sort of understood what he was saying. You wanted him to climax so badly that you sort of…pushed his SOUL away from sharing the experience when he finally reached it. Whoops.

“So…monsters orgasm simultaneously a lot, then? When they’re melded?”

“YES.” He sniffled. “I FAILED YOU.”

“Oh, no. Paps. Are you serious?” You cupped his cheeks with your hands, staring deep into him. “It was my fault. I should’ve…been open to it. And I would’ve _loved_ to have been up there with you. Whoo, you were…so intense…”

“I KNOW…” He trailed off, leaning more toward you despite his massive stature. You struggled to keep him upright in the tub when he relaxed all his weight on you. “WELL…THERE IS ALWAYS NEXT TIME. I KNOW SOMETHING YOU LIKE. THAT WE LIKE. AND WHEN WE MELD, WE CAN BOTH BE AT THE SAME LEVEL WITHOUT WORRYING.”

You were still baffled at how that worked. SOUL melding and sharing felt good to monsters. That was what your educational video said. But never did they talk about the specifics, where two SOULs could trigger a mirrored reaction. You supposed it made sense; it was….going to be a lot of fun getting used to doing it all the time.

“W-WELL. UM. WOWIE, YOUR SKIN IS GETTING SO WRINKLY. WE HAVE BEEN IN HERE FOR QUITE SOME TIME…” He trailed off. “I SUPPOSE I SHOULD LEAVE SO I DON’T DISTRACT YOU FOR WHEN YOU ACTUALLY GET CLEANED UP.”

You shook your head. “Let’s just lounge around in bed for a while.”

“NO!!! YOU ARE NOT SLEEPING WITH ME UNLESS YOU WASH ALL OF THE OILS OFF YOUR BODY. I LIKE YOUR NATURAL SCENT MORE.”

He really didn’t let it slide. You thought you could trick him, but he made you rinse off. You didn’t mind at all. It got…really messy in the tub. You were still completely soaked down below and had to use the showerhead just to get rid of it all. Papyrus followed suit with his own quick shower, and when he was done, the two of you jumped on the bed to cuddle in the covers.

“THANK YOU…FOR…INDULGING ME? I KNOW THAT YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED IT, BUT…I HAVE BEEN WONDERING ABOUT THIS FOR SO LONG. I AM GLAD WE GOT TO EXPERIMENT…”

You chuckled. Experiment? He knew exactly what he was doing and he knew it. “Mm. Well. We’ll need someplace a little more private next time. I’m kind of afraid to face everyone tomorrow when we leave.”

He gulped. “OH NO!!! I FORGOT WE WERE SURROUNDED BY OTHER ROOMS!!! THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING. NOT YOU, YOU ARE PERFECT, BUT I MADE THE MOST INTIMATE NOISES AND OTHER PEOPLE COULD HAVE HEARD IT! WHAT IF ONE OF THEM FELL IN LOVE WITH YOUR PASSIONATE CRIES AND WANTS TO TAKE YOU AWAY???”

You snuggled into him and sighed.

* * *

 

The both of you pulled up to the house and Papyrus was quick to hold the door open for you. “SANS! WE ARE HOME!”

“good. was wondering who was makin’ dinner.” He grinned at you from the couch. “you guys have fun?”

“VERY MUCH SO. WE HAVE SOUVENIRS FOR YOU! LOOKIE, I GOT YOU A TINY FLASHLIGHT IN THE SHAPE OF A MANICOTTI! I THINK YOU SHOULD KEEP IT AT WORK IN CASE THE POWER GOES OUT.” He rummaged through the suitcase you bought specifically for things to bring back. “AND LOOKIE! A WHOLE BOOK ABOUT THE SCIENCE OF COOKING. IT SHOULD BE EASY READING FOR YOU, BECAUSE I FINISHED IT IN ABOUT AN HOUR. THE SCIENCE STUFF WAS BORING, BUT I AM SURE YOU WILL LIKE IT.”

As Papyrus went on and on about the things you’d seen and done, you surveyed him with a grin. Nothing had changed. Everything was the same. This didn’t mean there was more to your relationship. It was just another new development you could work on. It wasn’t more mature. It wasn’t a milestone. It made you ecstatic to know that he felt the same.

And hey…you weren’t ashamed to admit that you were looking forward to next time.

Judging by that fleeting look, neither was he.


	2. The Present

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans isn't the type of guy to take actual vacations. It's hard enough dragging him away from work. But you have a feeling that this is gonna be a trip he won't forget any time soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, hope this is worth it!

The Annual Commemoration for Prestigious Astrophysicists.

Ugh, what a mouthful.

Sure, you understood that this was Sans’s thing. He was a huge nerd. He adored science, especially anything related to space. If his starry pajamas were anything to go by, he had a love affair with the vast galaxies and universes that you couldn’t very well comprehend. He lived and _breathed_ the mysteries of the surface. He spent hours in his lab conducting experiments big and small, trying to gain a better understanding of the way things worked and why. Through copious amounts of math and sheer dedication, he put all of his heart and SOUL into research that was far beyond you and on another plane of _existence_.

This…conference? Symposium? Whatever? You got tickets to it because you knew he would enjoy it.

You just didn’t know how much.

The weeks leading up to it were near torture. Every day, while you were on your lunch break, he would call just as soon as you were about to take the first amazing, wonderful bite of your food.

“Hello?” You eyed your meal longingly, wishing you could stuff your face and not worry about how it sounded over the phone. Sans said he liked watching and hearing you eat. You weren’t sure if it was just because he found it flattering you trusted him with the sight of you pigging out, or that he just thought the entire digestion thing was fascinating.

“hey babe, guess how many days are left?”

You were always wrong, considering the entire day was jumbled and crazy. “Uh…I don’t know.”

“just guess.” A giddy tone.

“Sans, seriously, I’m about to _destroy_ this sandwich. Just tell me!”

“heh, ok, you woulda been way off anyway. seven! just a week. y'know how many _hours_ that is?”

“Please! My lunch!!!”

“just put me on speakerphone.”

You were’t ashamed any more. You tossed the phone down and immediately slammed a giant bite in your mouth, chomping down on the bread and thanking the monster bakery for their magic-filled goods.

“a hundred n’ sixty-eight. look. i work forty hours. and sleep for like ten. factor in eatin’ times, which is another twenty-one hours, n’ you got yourself less than a hundred! us talkin’? takes like half an hour, so we gotta make sure we include that, too…”

You only half-listened to him. You loved his excitement, and it would’ve been outright endearing if you hadn’t heard this spiel every day. But you weren’t going to let him know that, so you let him continue his long-winded rant. At one point, he’d even gotten back to work and just had his phone in the pocket of his jumpsuit while he continued babbling. And you knew that because you could hear the grinding whir of machinery behind him coupled with the teasing whistles and words of his coworkers.

Even when you got home you weren’t safe.

“hey babe, how was yer day?”

“Pretty good.”

“nice. so, uh, listen. i been lookin’ at this itinerary, and i think i got everythin’ figured out. for real, this time. if we show up about three hours beforehand, we can prob’ly get good seats. like _really_ good ones. and we can kill time by readin’ over the journal reviews together.”

“Sans.”

“yeah?”

He grinned at you. Eyes so full of hope and craving affection. Acceptance.

You couldn’t dash his hopes away, so the concerns melted on your tongue and you leaned forward to plant a warm kiss on his cheek.

“uh…what was that for, babe?” His entire face went red.

“Nothing. Go on. I’m listening.”

He posted up in his room while you got undressed and changed, flopping back on his bed so he could stare at the ceiling. In the last month or so, you’d glued glow-in-the-dark stars up there just to get a laugh out of him, but he absolutely _loved_ it. So now all he would ever want to do was keep the lights off so the both of you could marvel at them. That and he re-arranged them to reflect the constellations instead of just the random scattering you had going on. When you got your new place, you were definitely going to find a room for him that would suit his tastes in decorations.

Papyrus was the one who made sure you packed appropriately for the trip. All three of you sat in the living room while you shoved the essentials in your suitcase.

“SANS, WHAT IS THIS?”

“heh, a rubber chicken?”

“…WHY???”

“i dunno, thought it would be funny.” He faltered. “it ain’t funny?”

“I JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY IT WOULD BE. IS IT BECAUSE IT’S MADE OF A MATERIAL THAT WOULDN’T EXIST NATURALLY IN CHICKENS?”

“nah, it’s…look, bro. human humor is way different than ours, and this is a staple.”

“SO THEN WHY BRING IT AT ALL? YOU ARE A MONSTER. YOU SHOULD IMPRESS THEM WITH YOUR OWN CRINGEWORTHY JOKES AND INCREDIBLE MANNERISMS. NO OFFENSE, LOVE OF MY LIFE!!!”

“Pfft, none taken?”

You had a secret weapon of your own. Something that was sure to really switch things up, if everything went well, of course.

“A WORD???”

Papyrus snatched you away before you could finish zipping up your bag. He’d taken you into the coat closet, which was a terrible idea because a.) you couldn’t see his expression and b.) he was six-and-a-half feet tall and this wasn’t built for your combined height and weight.

“DID YOU BRING ANYTHING SAUCY?”

“…what.”

“SAUCY!!! YOU TWO ARE GOING TO BE AWAY FOR THE ENTIRE WEEKEND. ACCORDING TO MANY OF MY COOLIO DATING WEBSITES, THIS IS AN AMPLE CHANCE FOR YOU TO SHOW YOUR ULTIMATE FEELINGS! THROUGH INTIMATE STUFF!”

“Papyrus, you are not seriously playing wingman, are you?”

“OF COURSE NOT. I DON’T HAVE FEATHERS. WAIT, IS THIS EXPRESSION RELATED TO THE RUBBER CHICKEN??? NO, NEVER MIND, I DON’T WANT TO KNOW.” He wasn’t even kidding at this point. You laughed too hard to be upset. “THIS IS NOT USUALLY MY PLACE, BUT SANS HAS BEEN VERY EXCITED ABOUT YOUR TRIP. FOR A VERY, VERY, _VERY_ LONG TIME. AND I KNOW THAT IT WOULD MAKE HIS ENTIRE LIFE IF OUR AMAZING AND INCREDIBLE GIRLFRIEND WAS FORWARD WITH HIM.”

“That’s…something to consider. Thanks, Papyrus.”

“NO PROBLEM-O! (BY THE WAY, I AM LEARNING SPANISH.) IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND, IT’S NO BIGGIE. I JUST THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A VERY WELCOME AND NICE DISTRACTION FROM ALL THE BORING, NERDY SPACE STUFF. YOU ARE FAR MORE INTERESTING THAN ALL OF THAT.”

You sighed. “Okay, I’ll…think about it.”

“GOODIE. NOW, HELP ME GET OUT OF HERE. I THINK I HAVE A BONE CRAMP, WHICH IS TWICE AS UNPLEASANT AS YOURS BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE A MUSCULAR SYSTEM!!!”

You stepped out and wondered just how much of that conversation was Papyrus’s idea. It sounded partly like something that Undyne or Alphys would whisper into his ear(?) when you weren’t around.

But he was right. You and Papyrus had gotten pretty far in the physical side of your relationship, but things had come to a standstill with Sans. It wasn’t because you didn’t want to! Or that you weren’t ready. It was just on the backburner. Between the trip, work and limited relaxation time, you didn’t really have a good moment to yourselves so you could explore a little more about what you wanted from each other. Hell, you were still in the basics of your SOUL melding stages. Since the time where you had to make him come before he could even summon his SOUL, nothing of significance had happened.

You weren’t really worried about it. Was he…? No, if he wanted to try something, he would’ve at least hinted at it. Papyrus was probably just concerned that his relationship with you was at a far different place. Which was sweet, but totally unnecessary.

“you guys, check it out. they’ve got a mystery speaker scheduled.” Sans thumbed through the updated website on your laptop. “a great timeslot, too. lucky bastard.”

The conference was being held about two timezones over, so you had to take a little bit of a flight to get there. Nothing extravagant. Sans really hated planes and traveling through the air. You thought he would’ve been enamored considering it was a marvel of human technology, but he just really didn’t like “to be so isolated and stranded in midair”, as he put it. You weren’t sure why he had such a problem with it when he liked taking shortcuts, but he said that it was mostly because he was trapped with people he didn’t really know.

Maybe it was a control thing. When he manipulated time and space, it was with his own doing. But relying on someone else to transport you through the air was quite another.

His leg started to bounce up and down. “we there _yet_?”

“Ugh, Sans.”

He ended up maneuvering so that he could lie down on your lap. Sprawled out and forcing himself to snooze the remainder of the trip while you just played games on your phone.

What Sans did like, however, was the baggage carousel.

“this is hilarious.”

“What’s so funny about it?”

His eyesockets crinkled. “everythin’. oh my god, humans are so weird.”

You took a shuttle to the hotel you booked for the occasion. The car wasn't fancy at all. In fact, it was the exact opposite of the big deal you made for Papyrus when you went on your trip, and for one very big reason: Sans didn’t like to be doted on. It made him get awkward and flustered. You could only do it once in a while because you knew he wouldn’t overheat; otherwise, he would’ve just gotten too overwhelmed and short-circuited.

“hey. what is this?”

“What?”

“this, uh…isn’t the hotel i was lookin’ at online.”

You stepped out of the van and marveled at it.

Wow.

Space-themed.

SPACE-THEMED!!!

Sans’s face went red. Yup. There he went. Overheating. Like you knew he would.

“wha…uh…we in the right place?”

“Mmhmm.”

The bellhop stopped by to take your bags, leading you into the lobby.

Sans couldn’t stop staring. His eyesockets went dark and he just…lingered. In the middle of the room. Drinking it in.

The entire place had been decorated with care and attention to detail. The lobby was supposed to resemble the milky way, from the swirling floors sparkling with stars to the spiral cloud that stretched across the expanse of the walls. There were LED lights that were scattered all along to represent twinkling stars from all classes, planets that lingered in the empty void and became wonders of science and technology.

“what is this? why did you – is this really – how long…?” He couldn’t even piece together a coherent sentence. It was cracking you up.

“Thank you for staying with us, here are your badges.”

BADGES! So nerdy. Not keys to your room. Badges. It was in the shape of a familiar prop from science-fiction show that Sans poured over when he first got the surface. He gripped it like it was his lifeline.

The elevator was insane, too. There were blinking lights that outlined the expanse of the doors and an automated voice that recited every floor that was named after a popular galaxy. Sans lingered near the control panel and punched every single one, not caring at the look of disapproval from the guy that stepped in after you. He trembled with excitement once you went up a floor and the announcement was something he could recite as well.

“triangulum. centaurus a! bode’s!”

You’d never seen him so animated before. At least, not like this. He laughed with glee when other people who planned to come in just waited for the next car to come through, not willing to join in on the skeleton laughing almost maniacally as he marveled at the accuracy.

The bellhop deposited your things inside the room. Blackout curtains, glittering material stretched out along the carpet and bedsheets. You glanced around and picked up a room service menu with a bunch of space-themed items on the menu.

“heh, wow. this is…wow.”

You tipped the guy and he left you to your own devices. Sans ambled over to the phone and messed with it.

“so this was your idea?”

“Um, yeah. I mean, the conference is like ten minutes away if we walk, and this place had pretty…interesting reviews. I know a lot of the scientists stay here so they decided to adopt the space theme to coincide with the event, since it’s hosted here every…what, was it two years?”

His eyesockets sparkled. That was new. “yeah.”

“I did my research!” you joked, wanting to throw some humor into a situation that was clearly meant to be taken seriously. Judging by the way he was looking at you, he didn’t care so much about the room as much as what you could do in it.

“you, uh…outdid yourself here. i'm…kinda speechless.” He brought a hand up to his face and rubbed at his cheekbone. “ya know…i sit here and think i got the upper hand, then you do somethin’ like this? s'a little overwhelming.”

You snorted and walked past him to the bathroom. “Well, you’d better get ready. We have a big couple days ahead of us.”

You lounged around for a little bit, but there was going to be a huge dinner to kick off the celebration. Something for everyone to get to know each other and mingle. You were a little nervous about it, considering you weren’t nowhere near as smart as the rest of the special guests, but you would tag along and see what other kinds of things they had to offer.

Sans stood in front of the full-length mirror and adjusted the glasses that rested on his face. He was tickled with how he looked.

“Did Papyrus talk you into that?”

“heh, yeah. s’a fashion trend, right? no lenses.”

“Hmm. I have to admit, you _do_ look really good.”

And he did. Sans put some serious effort into this. You’d only ever seen him dress formally for Alphys and Undyne’s wedding, and a few times at Toriel’s family dinners when he was trying to take it seriously. But between the dress shirt and slacks, the tie and the glasses, he looked like he was really into the whole “sexy professor” look. It was both hilarious and totally, unexpectedly hot.

“How do they stay on if you don’t have ears?”

He shrugged. “magic? alphys n’ grillbz don’t have ‘em, either.”

“Touche.”

You pulled out the dress you’d been saving for the dinner itself. Something simple to get you through the long-winded speeches and fake laughter.

“hey, show it to me. real nice n’ slow.”

“PFFT, are you serious???”

“yeah, c’mon.” He hopped up on the edge of the bed, grinning. “i wanna see.”

“You’re so bossy.” You pulled out the Special Occasion™ bra and added it to your clothes pile.

“wow.”

“What?”

“what are all those…straps for?”

“To hold everything in place.” You lifted the shirt over your head and shook your hair out, locks falling over your shoulders.

Sans’ expression waned, starting out mischievous and ending up downright scandalized. He raked his eyes from the curve of your stomach to your breasts, lingering on the slope of your neck and gripping the bedsheets tight.

“hey…this isn’t fair. you n’ me have to leave soon, don’t go teasin’ me like that.”

“You’re the one who started it.”

“ok. i'll remember that.”

He reached for your hand when you were all ready to go, shutting the door behind you and heading to the lobby. It really was just down the street, and you were looking forward to seeing what kinds of people attended this sort of thing.

“hey, y’know what a slinky n’ me have in common?”

“Ugh. Sans.”

“we’re both _sprung_.”

The dinner itself was held at the nearby museum. Honestly, what did you expect? You thought it was kind of weird that you had so much food around valuable art and exhibits, but they did have a separate hall for this sort of thing.

“got the tickets?”

“Yup.”

You were just about to step up when you took a good, long look at the place. It was gorgeous, you had to admit. Between the sky-high pillars and the bright lights that flashed from a giant marquee across the top, it screamed flash and glamor. You wondered if they were funded in any way by Mettaton. Sans in particular couldn’t keep his eyes off the animated screen that depicted the conference’s initials in big, bold letters. You could practically see it reflected in his pupils because they were blown so wide with admiration.

“babe, babe. check it out. it’s dr. hajra.”

“Um…?”

“shit, he’s the one who released those hi-res pictures of the new planet they found. think he would be weirded out if i said hi? y'know what, never mind. play it cool.”

Oh, Sans. Your wonderful, adorkable boyfriend.

You paused to fish out the tickets from your purse when you heard a familiar voice behind you.

*What a pleasant surprise! Good to see you!

You gasped and whipped around. “Eva! I had no idea you were going to be here!”

*I reserved a seat while I’m here. You’d be surprised at how many conferences are held in this city. I just came back from a week-long trip bridging relations between the city’s mayor and our diplomat. Anyway! You two look really cute. I take it things are going well?

You stammered at her comment, but Sans played it cool with a wink. “yep. me n’ her, closer than ever.”

*That’s great to hear. I’m so glad! Have you guys been practicing on listening to SOULs, then?

Neither of you knew what to say. Sans looked sheepish and you knew that your baffled expression gave her a good idea of what the truth was.

Eva sighed. *I don’t want to be that guy, but you two really need to work on it. You have the potential. I mean, you picked up fast enough when I approached you. But I really think that if you guys are serious about bonding—

You didn’t hear much after that, because you were pretty floored with her blatant suggestions. You and Sans had _never_ talked about bonding. You were still getting the hang of melding, of all things. And while you appreciated Eva’s suggestion, now all you could think about was the next big step that was sort of hanging over your heads.

“uh…let’s just get inside, ok?” Sans took your hand and practically dragged you away. “see ya.”

*Bye!

You stepped inside after handing your tickets off and marveled at the layout of the hall. It was vast and wide, with tables set up all around, placecards written in perfect penmanship and sweeping ink. Sans had a small map that had been handed off to him, so the two of you were able to find your seats no problem. That and there were friendly attendants on pretty much every side that could usher people to where they needed to go.

In the center of the table, placed on top of the delicate tablecloth that could’ve doubled as dress material, were fresh plants teeming with life. Monsters really liked anything nature-related once they moved to the surface. Underground, there were weeds, trees and flowers, but nothing as varied and incredible as the stuff that humans were so used to. Your table had a moderately-sized tuft of lemongrass that was sharp yet pleasant when you took a seat.

“damn, look at that setup.”

At the very front of the place was a podium. A long table of people who looked like they were the big dogs of the conference. Sans started naming off each and every one of them.

“is it weird that i brought my uh, article? that i've been working on? i was hopin’ i could talk it up to someone here n’ see what they had to say.”

You sipped at the water they set down for you. “It’s not weird at all. I like seeing this side of you.”

“heh, you would.” He rapped his fingers on the folder he’d tucked away in his jacket, thoroughly touched at your words regardless of his quip.

The food itself was amazing. All sorts of different things you’d never tried before. The portions were small, just enough for you to appreciate the flavors while they brought out a long list of courses for you to eat next. You had a really good time picking off Sans’ plate while he snapped pictures of the room around you.

In the middle of your meal, one of the people up front took the stage.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Annual Commemoration for Prestigious Astrophysicists! We have an amazing conference planned, with presentations that we can  _speed_ through and give us the  _time_ of our lives! We hope you aren’t intimidated by that; the last thing we’d want to do is create some _distance_ between us. ”

Roaring laughter throughout the room. This was sooo embarrassing.

“As a tribute to all of the brilliant minds before us, we’d like to show you a small clip of our predecessors. Without them, we wouldn’t be here.”

A giant screen dropped down and the lights dimmed just enough to see the crystal clear picture. Sans had foregone the meal completely, transfixed on the long list of people who influenced the modern minds of today.

You felt his hand grip your knee when the last name was read out. He exhaled like he’d been holding his breath.

 “heh, someday, maybe i'll be up there. if things go my way.”

You bit your lower lip. Monsters were still adapting and finding their place in life above the surface. But if anyone could break the mold and show that they were just as incredible and noteworthy, it would be Sans.

To top it all off, the crème de la crème, the Big Scientist of Scientists stepped up to the plate to say a few words. A person who sent rockets into the sky for deep space exploration, a woman whose intelligence was only rivaled by supercomputers and rapidly adapting AI. This was the same person that Sans had on a t-shirt when she posed with her team of highly experienced engineers with her newest spacecraft in the backdrop.

“Evening, everyone. I wanted to say a few words. To thank you – from the bottom of my heart – for never letting go of your passions.”

Sans was enraptured with her. He couldn’t stop staring. You might’ve been jealous if he hadn’t been rubbing lazy circles along your thigh, your initials spelled with his fingertips. He listened to her struggles and seemed to really identify with them, considering he kept nodding slightly with every train of thought she completed. This was his idol, and it was really awesome to know he trusted you enough to let his guard down and truly express how floored he was with her expertise and contributions to his favorite field.

The crowd erupted into applause and you were the first to rise for a standing ovation. Sans took one look at you and broke into a grin, following suit. You caused a chain reaction that had the entire room showing their full appreciation for her in the only way you could.

And the best part was, the people eventually started to whistle and hoot for her. Stamping their feet, yelling out how much they loved her. It really wasn’t as stiff and rigid as you thought it would be, and made you feel way more at home.

“man. _man_. can't believe it. all these people – that big finish – heh!”

“Having fun, Sansy?”

“yeah. i am.” He leaned forward and grinned. “how ‘bout you?”

“I think you know the answer to that, dork.”

With the food out of the way, the two of you walked around to introduce yourselves. Sans recognized someone from an online forum he frequented on and approached them with ease. It was fun to watch him in his element.

And the best part was, he kept introducing you as his girlfriend.

“yep. cutest one i could’ve snagged.”

“this is her. can’t get enough of her.”

“hey, you meet my human?”

It was a little overwhelming. Shaking hands and listening to jargon over and over again. Trying to wrap your head around everything, trailing after him with his hand the only thing stringing together any coherent thoughts his warm and welcome grip.

“tomorrow they’re doin’ somethin’ big. can't wait to see how they top off the opening speech with their secret speaker tomorrow.”

“It’ll be fun, I think.”

“yeah.”

You stumbled up to your room. You were exhausted and needed to take a long, hot shower to ease away the pain in your feet from heading around on heels all night. That and you really just wanted to do something so mind-numbing that you could shake off all the things that made your head swim.

You stepped out of the shower, dressed in loose pajamas, when you found Sans standing out on the balcony by himself. Staring straight ahead at the moon, the wind rustling his loosened tie. He gripped the railing tight and let out a long sigh.

“Something wrong?”

“nah. just thinkin’. when i was underground, all i ever wanted to see was the stars n’ sky. sometimes it’s easy…to forget…that not too long ago i was trapped down there.”

“Yeah.” You could relate somewhat; you’d experienced that, too, even if it wasn’t as long. “Anything else on your mind?”

He went silent. “heh, yeah. remember our first real date? on top of that hill where i showed you the skyline?”

“Uh huh.”

“didn’t think i ever coulda been happier than that. but…you always know how to surprise me.” He closed his eyes and seemed to steel himself. “y’know what my favorite thing to do is?”

You stared over the horizon and drank in the scenery. “Hmm?”

“eat out.”

Pfffft. “What?”

“eat out.”

“I _heard_ you, I just don’t get it. Why bring that up?”

“that’s what i wanna do.” He broke away from his spot. “i wanna eat out.”

“Seriously? We just got done with dinner.”

“yeah. but that’s not what’s on the menu up here, right?”

You froze.

Whoa.

“think i've still got a little bit of an appetite.”

“Wh—Sans???”

“kinda don’t wanna wait any more. kinda wanna drag those pants around your ankles and _go to work_ , if y’know what i mean.”

“Oh my god.”

You couldn’t believe this. Was he SERIOUSLY propositioning you? For that?! Sure, the last time you got really touchy-feely and put your lips all over him, but never expected this response out of the blue. You hadn’t mentioned anything about that night save for a few jokes here and there, but nothing about him wanting to reciprocate.

He tore off the tie and dropped it, stepping backwards back into the room. “you wanna entertain those thoughts of mine? or not?”

It took you a few seconds of seriously mulling over it. Thoughts rapid and jumbled in your head. Did you want this? Really? Could you trust him? Would you enjoy it? Would he? The answer to all of those questions was yes.

You made your decision and left the cool night air to the warmth inside.

“Mmph.”

“heh. mm. yer real _soft_ , babe. can’t stand it. can't keep my hands off ya.”

You inhaled sharply and felt him unzip the back of your dress, finally letting it loose enough where you could step out of it. You broke apart from the heated kiss just long enough for you to wiggle it past your hips, really regretting that you hadn’t worn anything fancy to unveil to him.

The dress pooled on the floor and Sans shed his jacket so it would join the pile. He rolled up the sleeves of his button-down shirt all the way up to his elbows, pupils fixated on you.

Your hand lingered on your chest in a balled fist.

“you wanna keep it on? keep it on.” He gestured to your panties. “those gotta go, though.”

You plopped down on the edge of the bed and he grabbed the band of them before you could. Hooking his fingers underneath and drawing them past your ankles. Managing to untangle them and toss them across the room.

“wanna lie back for me?”

You weren’t sure you did. You wanted to see him do it. See him come down on you like it was the last thing he was ever allowed to do.

He tapped your thighs and pushed them apart. Just wide enough that he had perfect access to everything he ever could’ve wanted. He lifted a hand to wipe along the side of his mouth, swallowing hard and fingers twitching against your skin. Every nerve was on fire. You couldn’t breathe. You sucked in a breath and steeled yourself for him to start.

“you want this, right? you want me?”

You laughed weakly. “Yes. Of course I do.”

“you’ll tell me if i need to stop. if it’s too much? i got some things i wanna try. some stuff i've seen that i think you’re gonna like.”

He hovered just inches away. Gentle puffs of air against your skin. You wanted to scream.

“here i go, babe.”

Tongue. Out. Flicking along, dragging from top to bottom. You arched your back and stifled a gasp, his name caught on your lips already. It was so warm and wet and _wonderful_ against you, as if he had been saving up just for this occasion. The tip prodding against your clit and then dipping along past your slickening folds to push at the ring of muscles near your entrance, teasing, probing, just enough that he could taste you.

The _sounds_ he was making. He wasn’t being shy at all. Slurping and groaning, shifting, his free hand going down to bury itself into his shirt. Stroking his ribs while he shuddered and moaned, pushing his face deeper into you until all you could feel from every single angle was him and his tongue, his teeth nibbling on your flesh, lapping and gobbling you up until you would be nothing but a pile of mush.

“O-Oh, oh god, oh god, Sans!”

He laughed, voice sending shudders down your spine and the hard vibrato shaking every sensitive part of you. You rolled your hips and he went along with it at first, but then anchoring himself onto the bed so it felt like you were just riding his face. Letting you go as deep as you wanted, sucking in a breath just long enough where he could eat you out without even taking a break.

He reached up and put both hands on your thighs, burying himself in deeper. Sliding his fingers underneath your backside so he could push you forward and lock him into place, legs snaking around either side of his head. He made you pin him there while he stopped skating over the surface and instead focused on wrapping his entire mouth on your clit and sucking hard.

“tashtes so fuckin’ goodth,” he laughed weakly, shaking his head from side to side. “you like that? huh?”

“Sans…please, I’m gonna come!”

“you wanna? you wanna come all over me?” He pulled back and swiped his tongue along the lower half of his face, your juices glistening. “just tell me when. n' keep me close, ok?”

“Mmm, fuck.”

You flopped backwards and bore down on hin, increasing the pressure on your lower half. Sans seemed to like the new angle, since he dragged you down toward him and went back to work. Sealing his mouth on you and sipping away at every single drop that escaped you, laughing against you, not able to help himself in biting down in a few places in your inner thigh just to draw a surprised scream from you.

“OW! Sans!!!”

He pulled back like he’d been burned. “shit, sorry.”

“Be more careful!” You couldn’t believe he just did that. “I’m sensitive.”

“your right. m'sorry. lemme make it up to ya.”

He pecked more kisses up and down your thighs and down your slit, tonguing along as he went. Licking. Groaning. Tracing shapes and the alphabet with his tongue, flicking along your throbbing clit until you begged him to stop. Hitting that one spot along your skin that sent a series of shallow, rocking tremors through you, not quite an orgasm but reaching it so readily and steadily that you wanted to cry.

He pulled back and laughed breathlessly. “heh, oh man, you’re giving me a workout. this is torture, babe. doin’ so good, i wanna do this forever.”

“Sans…”

He sucked on his finger and plunged it into you without warning, wiggling the digit along your walls roughly and pulling it out to taste it. Running his tongue along the grooves of his bones. Savoring it.

“want you to sit on me, y’know? want you to ride my face ‘til you can’t come any more.”

“Oh _god.”_

“wanna be the one to send you over the edge. ‘cuz this is my human. no one else can make ya feel this way, right? huh?”

You could feel it. The tension building in the pit of your stomach. You started to panic, Sans continuing to talk and plunge his tongue in you over and over again. Fucking you with it, stopping a few times to pin you  to the bed and suck you until you were dry, then pulling back just long enough to start all over again.

“I-I’m gonna come! Sans!!!”

“that’s it. yer real good to me, sweetheart. give it to me, ok?”

He gripped your ass and forced you to trap him between your thighs and finished you off. You squeezed your legs around his head and screamed. He didn’t let up. Continuing to suck and fuck you until you were nothing but a puddle. Forced in place, his skull just barely visible below your stomach, going in far enough that you felt the orgasm tear through you. The shocks never stopped, spasms in your belly and voice trembling from relief, tears springing in the corner of your eyes while his name finally ended as a whisper on your lips.

Afterglow. Warm. Heavy. Your legs dropped on either side of the bed and Sans crawled backwards just enough to free himself from being pinned. He had come all over his face. Spread across his cheekbones and down his chin, smeared along his mouth and teeth. He never looked more content, a rumbling laugh in his chest, reaching up to touch the sticky remnants that lingered in thickening globs on his bones.

“so much, babe.”

“I-I’m sorry,” you sobbed, still riding out your high. “I didn’t mean to.”

“you think this is a _problem_?”

“I could’ve hurt you.”

“i wanted that. and you were fuckin’ _incredible._ ” He sucked on his fingers greedily. “you wanna go again? you think we can do that?”

You felt your heart pound. “Y-yeah.”

“then lemme just come right back. tell me if you’re too sensitive, i'll go slow.”

This time, it wasn’t as feverish or intense. Sans paid extra special attention to you. Avoiding the most sensitive and nearly painful part of your clit that throbbed from your climax. He encircled it lightly with the flat part of his tongue, rolling it around, kissing away at your folds and burying his face in deep enough to inhale you and slip his tongue inside of you.

“Ooh…”

He thrust in at a leisurely pace. No more hollowing out his cheeks while he shook his head back and forth to swath your entire bottom half with saliva. You relaxed under his touch when he gripped your hip just hard enough to anchor you to the bed, moving in closer to make his thrusts shallow and hard.

“Unf, uh, ah, Sans, mmph!”

“so cute. so goddamn hot. i can’t get enough. you did this to me.”

Your legs lifted from the bed and you brought them toward your chest. The added pressure down below increasing from the shift in angle. Sans made up for the difference by moving even closer. Calling out your name in slobbery, sweet murmurs of praise. Tasting you and swallowing you whole, fixing on one spot that made your eyes roll back and knuckles turn white from gripping the bed.

You couldn’t stop humping. Thrusting into him. He didn’t even care. He just let you go at the pace you wanted, nearly suffocating until he pulled back for air and just dove right in. Encasing himself around you and coming out with a _pop!_ , your entire bottom half dripping and soaked. There was come everywhere. All over the sheets, your thighs, his _face_. Enough that he could go back for seconds and thirds, scarfing it all down, snickering once you gave him even _more_.

“mmn, i…”

*love you.

“ffffffuck, yeah, keep doin’ that, you’re close, huh?”

*i love you.

“that the spot? ooh, your legs are startin’ to shake. heh heh heh.”

*I LOVE YOU.

“ah!”

“SANS!”

You weren’t sure when it had happened. When your SOULs had sought each other out again, hovering above you. But the moment they touched and came together, you felt every single fucking thing he did.

All of the pleasure.

The torture.

The _love_.

Wrapped up in a tight little ball of tension that was ready to _snap_ at any given moment. How much he cared for you and worshipped you and wanted to be with you. How he felt right now, squirming, so sensitive to the touch and ready to come at any second, but holding it off no matter how _painful_ just so he could watch you come undone. How he got so much out of knowing that he was doing this to you, bringing you over the edge, about to put you in a place where you would see white and pass out.

“mmmmhhhh!”

He buried himself in you and flicked his tongue just right.

You came.

Hard.

Knees practically up to your chest. The sweet pressure of his mouth sealing the both of you together. Everything you had flowing into him as he licked it all up, not sparing any last drop of it the chance to escape. Laughing bitterly when he finally came too, his body wracking with shudders and the pupils in his eyes shrinking down to nothing but tiny, miniscule hearts. He moaned your name into you and struggled to hold himself up, his own climax bringing him further so he could use you as support, weak and spent and downright _fucking wasted_ after seeing you fall apart.

“ha…haa…”

“F-fuck…” You brought your hands up to your face. “You…”

“wow…”

Your single SOUL bobbed up and down in the air lazily before prying itself apart. Tendrils of your own colors sticking together before separating completely. Sans watched them and snorted with laughter.

“guess we made it through this time, right? without havin’ to get me off?”

You weren’t so sure about that. Your entire body thrummed with energy as you tried hard not to let him know that you nearly passed out.

“so, uh…i'm gonna go wipe my face off.” You could hear the grin in his voice. “so much, babe? is this normal for you?”

You threw a pillow at him in response.

As uncomfortable as it was, being soaked and pantless, Sans crawled into bed and went for your lips. Kissing you over and over again until you couldn’t think about anything but him.

“Next time, go easy with the teeth. Please?”

“heh, i said i was sorry.”

You weren’t mad. Just flustered. Especially because you really, really hadn’t expected him to go all out like that.

Lots of aftercare. Smooching and cuddling. Talking and touching. He was exhausted from everything you pulled out of him, but you were wide awake and wanted nothing more than to worship him. So you started to list off everything you loved about him, the list going on, and on, and on, until…

Morning.

Sans was raring to go. Dressed fresh to death. He’d ironed everything out, scrubbed himself clean, and was ready to make connections with the big leaguers around the conference.

It didn’t help that he was still not over the fact that he made you come not once, but _twice_.

“heh, yeah. watchin’ all that porn paid off, huh?”

“I still can’t believe you did that.”

“it was the good stuff. erotica. made for women, though i don’t see why. lots of good, tasteful angles and techniques.”

“Oh my god, my monster boyfriend is becoming a porn connoisseur.”

“don’t tell no one. that’s between you n’ me.”

You met Eva up at the front and ambled around a little bit, sitting in on various talks, but Sans seemed way less interested than the day before. In fact, all he wanted to do when the speaker was going over their research was try to get your attention. You ignored him at first, trying to hint that he needed to look over at the presentation, but he would either touch you or start texting to gain a reaction out of you.

After finishing some kind of long-winded spiel on dark matter, you and Sans stood outside the auditorium. “maybe we should cut this short and go back to the hotel.”

“Um, no? I paid for you to be here. You can be with me any time you want, but this only lasts until tomorrow.”

“fine. i'm holdin’ ya to that.”

You glanced around. Sans had his folder in his jacket like the night before, but he was too shy and anxious to actually approach someone regarding his research. It was his baby and hard criticism would’ve crushed him, if given the chance.

“ooh, nice. guest speaker. c'mon, let’s grab a seat.”

You made it to the front row no problem. He didn’t bother asking why.

Someone walked across the stage and grabbed the microphone from its stand. It was Eva. Behind her was a rolling screen with Alphys on live video feed.

“damn, didn’t know aly was gonna speak. she mostly does chemical engineering, wonder what she’s doin’ here.”

Alphys cleared her throat while Eva positioned the microphone near her mouth.

“G-good afternoon, everyone! As you know, my name is Dr. Alphys. I think I recognize some familiar faces in the crowd. I’m very happy you all could be here, as the next guest is someone that I admire g-greatly.”

She looked so determined. It was amazing. More than you could’ve hoped for.

“The person I’m introducing is a longtime friend. Someone who I’ve worked with in the past. While I made serious mistakes, they were the ones who kept their morals intact and refused to cross the line that so many of us are tempted to do. Over the years, their participation in the field has dwindled – due in large part t-to the atmosphere that we worked in. But I am c-confident that what they have to say today will give you hope for monster involvement in the scientific community and perhaps open your eyes to the incredible p-potential of someone who I am proud to have represent us here today.”

“really layin’ on the charm, ain’t she? we all see eva up there, s’not that big of a secret.”

“S-Sans, please make your way up to the podium.”

The spotlight swiveled over to you in your seats.

Sans choked.

“W-we are all dying to hear about your newest research proposal.”

He looked at you. You smiled at him sheepishly.

“Surprise?”

He glanced down at his hands, which were trembling while he held the folder with all of his recent work. He let go of it just long enough to pull you into a hard kiss. The entire crowd erupted in a fit of giggles before the silly grin got slapped right back onto his face. He hopped down from his seat and practically darted up the stairs to the stage, confident and cool in his walk and his demeanor bringing a cheery feel to the otherwise tense room.

“hey everyone. i'm sans. sans the skeleton. and i'm about to blow your mind.”

If there was one thing to be said about your boyfriend, it was that he could work a crowd.

Despite being forced into this – without any prior knowledge whatsoever – he _thrived._ He stood up there with his numbers and calculations on big fancy graphics that you’d made, stuff he’d never even seen before, and just explained it like a pro. Encouraging questions from the audience. Giving out terrible puns as responses, which sent ripples of laughter throughout the crowd. Citing the facts to back him up, giving credit to the big people before him, making sure that every single person sitting there knew that he was all business.

It was fun watching him. It was amazing! He loved this more than anything. He could be a little snarky and sarcastic when someone tried to knock him down a peg, but it never came off as mean-spirited. He held his own despite the distaste and distrust from the bigwigs being schooled by a rookie. All of his stuff was sound, and he was so thorough that there wasn’t anything they could knock him on whatsoever.

They loved him.

Standing ovation.

More questions.

He winked. Cameras flashed. Everyone laughed.

Success.

“thanks for your time, guys. hopefully we can pick each other’s brains again real soon.”

His speech concluded, Sans headed back down toward you. Making sure to grab your hand while everyone could see you leave. He was beaming for every single photo and couldn’t stop even when you went out right past the auditorium doors.

“you did that? you did this?”

“I mean, yeah. I know you were really looking for an opportunity to share your work. Alphys said she would call around and see if she could get you a spot, then I guess she got Eva involved, and…”

Sans crooked a finger at you and kissed you with a grin. Kiss. Laugh. Kiss. Laugh. He couldn’t get enough.

“you know i—” Mmph! “love ya more than—” Mmm. “anythin’ in the whole goddamn world???”

You beamed. “Glad you had fun. I was worried you might just freeze and refuse to go up, god, that would’ve been embarrassing.”

“Sans?”

You both turned to the source of the noise. It was her. His Idol. The woman who triumphed through every single setback and managed to get a solid grip on her near royalty status within this community.

“I really enjoyed everything you just put on the table. I’d love to fund your project.”

He crumbled.

You stepped away while the both of them gabbed on incessantly about it. Trying to exchange numbers and set up a time for them to work things out. He couldn’t stop grinning, even more so than usual, enough that it was infecting her, too. She regarded him with warmth and acceptance, two things he so desperately needed even now, especially in such a cold and competitive field.

“…couldn’t have done it without my girlfriend.”

They both walked over to you while you were grabbing a quick cup of iced tea from the nearby bowl.

“this is her. she’s the one who kicked me into gear.” Sans gestured to you lazily. “would it be ok if we got a picture together? all three of us?”

“Past and present inspiration, I presume?” She laughed. “Of course.”

You set it up and Sans held you close. All three of you together like you were just friends posing for an everyday selfie. She stepped back once you found one you really liked and excused herself, promising to get back into touch with you as soon as her schedule lightened up.

The entire night consisted of stuff like that. People coming up to look through his stuff. Engaging him in conversation. Promising to get together. Entering phone numbers. It was fun watching him so animated, so fucking _ecstatic_ that he’d finally found people who were interested in what he had to say.

You ended up going outside once there was a break in the long line of visitors and would-be investors.

“so.”

“So.”

He paused for a long moment. Chuckling. “can’t even think of what to say right now. drawin' up a blank.”

“Well, you did just chat with a bunch of randos for like, a whole three hours.”

“nah, not that.” He sighed. “now i gotta watch more stuff. to _really_ knock your socks off.”

“Oh my god, stop.”

He reached for your hand and held it tight. “nope. you're stuck with me, now.”

* * *

 

Papyrus was tidying up the place before your arrival. He was hoping to get things halfway decent before the two of you rolled on through and messed everything up. He was in on the secret, too, and it killed him to keep it from his brother. But he watched the entire televised event and rooted his brother on from home. It was better that way; he would’ve died of boredom if he had to go in person.

“AH! THEY ARE HERE! BE PRESENTABLE!” Papyrus bent down and adjusted the bow tie on Annoying Dog’s neck. “REMEMBER THE ABC’S WE PRACTICED. A IS FOR ACCEPTABLE AFFECTION, B IS FOR BONES ARE NOT CHEW—”

The car door slammed and all of it went out the window. The dog shot out through the door and launched itself right into you. Knocking you into the muddy grass.

Papyrus cried out and tried to stop it, only to slip on a patch of water just outside and land hard on his butt. Falling on a conveniently placed whoopee cushion that tore through the dead silent neighborhood.

Sans took one look at the chaos and burst out laughing.

A swarm of kids from across the street saw the open door and steaming plate of cookies as an invitation and darting inside to consume everything whole.

His welcome back gift was ruined! But Papyrus would let it slide, this time. Only because the look that Sans shot you was enough for him to know that things...were good.

**Author's Note:**

>  **please comment**! i love hearing from you and it drives me to write the next chapter!!!
> 
> consider [donating](http://ko-fi.com/A258IM#_=_)! it would mean the world to me if you did.
> 
>  **question of the day** : how did your skeleboyfriend do?


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